Poor Kitties

Micah has mail.

Jarod burping his baby.

"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way." Mark Twain (Mark Twain never tried THIS.)

"OK. Yes. OK. I love you too."

"How many more lives do I have left?"

Wrestle time!!!

" Um...........a little help?"

There is more than one way to tranport a cat.

Isaac Joel Turns One Year Old

Two days ago, Isaac Joel turned one year old. To celebrate boy # 6's very special day, we did his favorite things:  thrift store shopping & refrigerator hunting. Isaac got to ride in two, count them, two car-shaped shopping carts & steer the little steering wheels!!! He had a blast at RC Willy's & Lowe's. On the way home, I made a quick run to Wal Mart & picked up some tiny cupcakes so we could sing Happy Birthday to Isaac at home & call it a day. Now I call that a party. (We had our "big family party" for him later.)"They blew out the fire before I could play with it! So mean." "Mmmm.....cupcakes!"

One of Isaac's thrift-store birthday presents. Loves it. 

It amazes me how Isaac went from being a helpless little baby , barely able to hold his head up.....

......to a full-functioning, remote-control-wielding (he actually knows that the remote affects the TV; if only he knew how to get the dumb thing to go to Seasame Street!) human-being in just a year's time!

First, there was no Isaac. Then......there was! A miracle. It was just a year ago that he came into the world with much

 pain & joy. It was just a year ago that the doctors told me about his brain damage, that time would tell how he would develop & fear gripped my heart. But, time, so far, has shown him to be quite normal & healthy. Those neural pathways have woven their way around that troublesome little calcuim deposit in his brain. New pathways were made. His cute little synapses are just firing away! The brain is such a resiliant, complex & incomprehsible thing. Isaac has miraculously, amazingly, grown into a sweet, silly, lovable, naughty, & wonderful little boy. In other words....normal. I am blessed & stand in awe of the design & it's Designer.

Happy birthday, Isaac Joel! Mama loves you so very much.

Homeschool Flexibility

When we start out doing lessons for the day, it looks something like this: ......and this. But, my kids have different learning styles. Micah does well, holding still, looking very studious. Seth needs some tunes coming through his head-phones to block out the sound of little brothers. Jarod needs something...else. As the studying progresses...

........this happens.........

........and this.......

(Micah still behaving studiously.)

.......then this (but at least he's finally sitting still.....for the moment).

It may not look like Jarod is studying, but I promise you, he is. I'm very thankful for the flexibility that homeschooling provides, in allowing the boys to learn in their own, unique ways....and that they can go out to the back yard & climb the tree, whenever they need to, to "get the wiggles out."